Sahara: Mauritania rebuffs Polisario request to open embassy in Nouakchott, another setback for separatists
The government of Mauritania has refused a request from the Algeria-backed Polisario militias to establish a consulate or embassy in Nouakchott, dealing another hard blow to the separatist group and its Algerian supporters, according to press reports.
Mauritania, which adopts a neutral position regarding the Sahara regional conflict, has always been cautious in its ties with Polisario. Although Nouakchott recognized the self-proclaimed SADR in 1984, this recognition remained purely symbolic and never evolved into effective diplomatic relations.
After the military coup of July 10, 1979 that ousted the first civilian Mauritanian president Moktar Ould Daddah, the junta had signed a peace agreement with the Polisario, withdrew from the Madrid Agreements of November 14, 1975, and pledged to establish diplomatic relations with pseudo-SADR. But the pledge remains unfulfilled.
Following the latest historic resolution adopted by UN Security Council endorsing Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Sahara under the Kingdom’s sovereignty, the Algerian regime has launched several desperate life-saving operations to rescue its crumbling Polisario after pursuing for five-decades an elusive dream.
The Algerian rulers tried initially to arrange a meeting between Polisario chief Brahim Ghali and Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani but they failed. They also tried in vain to secure a diplomatic status for the Polisario in Mauritania. After failing to rebound in Mauritania, Brahim Ghali was flown aboard an Algerian presidential plane to Angola to attend Independence Day celebration for face-saving before disgruntling public opinion.
According to intelligence reports, the Algerian regime is very likely to take vindictive actions against Mauritania which has so far resisted pressure to join its plots against Morocco, preferring instead engagement serving its national interests and focusing on regional cooperation and stability.